Friday, 2 March 2018

Chatting with Cheryl Holloway

A big welcome to our guest today – Cheryl Holloway – a well-respected author, prolific writer, and enthusiastic blogger famous for her ‘Pay it Forward’ policy.

Q. Cheryl, can you tell us a little about yourself?

A. I have been writing for many years, now. My writing varies from articles, informational pieces, poetry, books, short stories and magazines. You name it and I can write it. I have put a great deal of time in learning my craft over the years. I am exceedingly passionate about writing. I write in several genres, but mostly romance.

Q. Do you have any particular hobbies or interests outside writing that you would like to share with us?

A. I am a passionate blogger, but that’s writing also. I provide ongoing tips on writing and publishing. I pay it forward to any author worldwide with author interviews on my blog and I spotlight their books from any genre.

Q. If you could invite three authors to lunch one day, who would they be?

A. I would invite James Patterson and Ernest Hemingway. It's a tie for the third person— Zora Neal Hurston and Nora Roberts.

Q. Do you like to read or do you prefer to listen to audio books?

A. I prefer to read books; however, I do enjoy listening to an occasional audio book, especially if moderator pulls me into the story.

Q. Do you have a kindle, nook, or reading device yourself, or do you prefer to read from printed versions of a book?

A. Yes, I have a Kindle and I do enjoy reading eBooks on my Kindle. My preference, however, is a print book.

Q. What drove you to begin a writing career?

A. I have always wanted to write stories. I began reading books when I was three years old and my mother bought me Golden Books once a week. I wanted more books, so I began writing my own little stories to entertain myself and eventually, my brother.

Q. Do you write to a target – word count – every day, or do you have another writing discipline that you could share with us?

A. I just write everyday with no particular word count. I usually write 4+ hours (more like 8+ hours) every single day. You do what you love. J

Q. Do you write from imagination, personal experience, or a mixture?

A. A mixture. I generally take a personal experience—mine or a friend’s—and elaborate with imagination to create an entertaining fictional story.

Q. When choosing a geographical location for a plot, or storyline, do you select places you know well or just pick them at random?

A. A little bit of both, or sometimes I create an imaginary place/world, just for me and my characters. I have a saying posted on my computer. ‘I live in my own little world. But it’s Okay…They know me here!’

Q. I’ve always argued that to be a good writer you need to be a good reader first. Do you think that is true or false?

A. Yes, true. I agree. Growing up I was an avid reader and read at least one book a day. I went to the library every single day, including Sunday afternoon, after church. I have a huge personal library (thousands of books).

Q. Would you describe yourself as an avid reader?

A. Definitely.

Q. Do writers start writing because they loved reading, or did they always love reading because they had some innate desire to write?

A. I think, a little of both.

Q. Do you have a current ‘work in progress’? Can you tell us anything about it?

A. Yes, I’m writing a Christian novel with two other authors; a fictional short story that I will self-publish; a children’s book with my grandson and I’m trying my hand at a murder mystery novel.

Q. Which gender and age group are your books targeted at?

A. My adult books are for ages 21-55; while my children books are for kids 3-8 years old.

Q. What is the best piece of advice you could give to someone starting out on a writing career?

A. I have learned one important point about writing and that is writers write…on a regular and continual basis.

Q. If you won a million dollars what would you do with it?

A. Give writing workshops around the world and offer scholarships to new unpublished writers; and promote some of my books.

Q. If you could wind the clock back to the beginning of your writing career, what would you do differently?

A. I would become a full-time writer sooner. I had a great career as a Writer-Editor, but I was always working for someone else.

Q. Do you have links on Amazon, twitter or any other social media sites where your books are on sale and readers can follow you?